Durex responds to complaints over no gay couples in ad: Straight actors just did better at casting

After reading that statement, Queer as folk & Weekend come straight to mind. Those straight actors didn’t seem to have a problem portraying gay characters did they?

Utter nonsense to hide the fact they just didn’t want gay sex in there, god forbid it puts off the straights

Stephen_Glenn

So let me get this right, despite their superior acting ability no two of these straight actors were able to play a gay couple for the campaign.

I don’t think blaming the talent is going to cover up the fact that someone at the ad agency forgot to be inclusive in the conception of the overall campaign. This excuse from Durex is as worthless as one of their pieces of latex with a whole in the tip.

@Mike-uk2011

Vote with your feet. Call for gay people, and other decent minded folk to use another company, in protest. Seems to be the only thing that works these days.
Hurt them where it hurts the most. Their pocket.

Pablo

If gay actors weren’t good enough, then the next best thing is two straight actors. Clue is in the name, ACTors. Man, I’m so sick of seeing straight people everywhere.

Helen

I have to say, this is the WORST excuse I’ve ever heard, and let’s face it, there have been some stinkers over the years.

They’re actors! the whole point is they act. Presumably, the person they were acting with wasn’t their partner in real life. so they can fake an entire relationship but they can’t act as a gay couple? Durex really need to hold their hands up and admit they dropped the ball on this one.

Rob

Their adverts are always straight.

Brett Gibson

Bullsh*t. If you were actually telling the truth and actually cared about equality you would have casted the ‘better straight actors’ in gay roles.

” ….same-sex couples were not deliberately excluded during casting.”
They weren’t included, either. Ever heard of the need for ‘positive discrimination’?

cw

Their suggestion that only gay actors can play gay roles and straight actors must play straight roles is rather more insulting than their original faux pas.

Andy Millan

Sean Penn and James Franco, Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, Heath Ledger and jake gyllenhaal, just a few examples of straight actors playing gay couples. If they can do it surly these second rate commercial actors can do it too. Really crap excuse durex.

Lion in Winter

So.. they are all str8, right? What will they do for the other 57 minutes of the Earth Hour?

http://www.bloketoys.co.uk/ BlokeToys.co.uk

First of all, they clearly thought about including gay couples, because they state that these straight actors did “better at casting”. The notion that they couldn’t find ANYONE able to play a gay role is a little ludicrous, and comes across as a panicked excuse by someone who really didn’t think through their response very well.

I have a feeling this was a deliberate choice, to prevent “turning off” the occasional straight bigot who might be watching this ad.

There are not many companies who include both straight and gay characters in their ads as far as I can see, and I think this is a deliberate decision.

As a company which stocks a few Durex products, we are extremely disappointed.

james

Its called ACTING, you don’t need to be gay to be a gay character.

Jon (Malaysia)

They couldn’t find any gays who were good at acting??????????? Hahahahahahahaha!

Jess

I don’t buy durex anyways lol heck I don’t buy or use condoms because i know how to protect myself because I actually paid attention in health class?

Not giving my money towards corporate giants ;)

John

Durex and other companies keep telling us all how important it is to use protection, yet apparently we are not part of their core marketing strategy. They have a very narrow view of who exactly uses their products…..I’m really surprised and disappointed at Durex…

eton

Agreed with Stephen_Glenn! Can’t blame the talent because the talent (whatever their actual sexuality) was cast into ROLES! Blame the ad agency or the writer/director of the ad for not including same sex roles in the ad itself.

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